The Five Prides With CONTEST!
by Whirlwind-44
Summary: A large group of cats, similar to the clans, live in five divided groups, called Prides. Their customs have some differences from the clans. When a band of rogues moves in nearby, how much trouble can they cause?  CONTEST- Three new kits need names!
1. Allegiances

**_Author's Note:_**

_My story takes place with five different Prides, rather than clans. The five prides' territory covers a circular area protectively surrounding an abandon twoleg barn. Inside the barn are all five prides' elders, herb cats, queens, and kits. Apprentices sleep here and occasionally their mentors. Life works very similar to the clans, except for a few more changes:_

_-Cats do not have compound names like Fireclaw and Bluetail (Unless they are leader, see next change). Instead they have singular names like Flare and Blue. It is custom for queens to name their kits similarly (i.e. they might all be trees; Fir, Beech, and Oak; or all rocks; Pebble, Stone, and Boulder)._

_-Leaders are considered "Chiefs" and do not __have nine lives. Instead they stop aging and are immune to sickness. The Council is made up of the five Chiefs that run the clans, and every moon, they meet inside the barn and have a meeting in the top (third floor-attic) of the barn. Cats are chosen to be Chief by vote of warriors in the Pride. When they become leader they add their Pride name to the beginning of their name (i.e. Twist becomes Runningtwist, if he were Chief of The Pride of Running)._

_-Herb cats all live in the barn, so they do not meet at half-moons. They have a much weaker bond with their ancestors (Pride of the Stars) like the rest of the cats._

_-Apprentices do not have one mentor. A mentor is chosen from each Pride every moon, after the Chiefs meet at the barn. The five mentors help train all of the apprentices. The apprentices learn about all five Prides. When they become warriors, they must choose which Pride they go to by what they are best at (Running, Fighting, Swimming, Climbing, or Hunting). They must also pass a test to make sure they are worthy of the Pride's skill. It is encouraged to find a mate after choosing a Pride, because it is against the Code to have a mate in another Pride._

_-When a Warrior decides to retire and become an Elder, they move into the barn._

_-The barn is an area of peace and is inside every Pride's territory. The herb cats, elders, kits, and queens live on the bottom floor and the apprentices live on the much smaller second story accessible by stacked hay bales. Chiefs meet on the third floor which is even smaller and no more than crawl space, perfect for a cat._

**ALLEGIANCES**

**THE COUNCIL**

Runningtwist

Huntingshine

Fightingsnake

Climbinglilac

Swimminghawk

**THE BARN**

**Herb Cats:**

Stream- Off-white she-cat with gray markings, senior herb cat

Quail- White tom with black splotches

Drizzle- Blue-gray tom with white legs and amber eyes

Burr- Small gray tom

Briar- Gold and brown she-cat

Violet- Black she-cat with almost unnoticeable dark gray markings

**Mentors:**

Clay- Large dark brown tom, senior mentor (Fighting)

Weeds- Brown mottled tom (Swimming)

Glade- White and brown tom (Running)

Fawn- Light brown she-cat with white highlights (Hunting)

Whisper- Shy, light gray she-cat (Climbing)

**Apprentices**

Caterpillar- Dark cream tom, brother of Spider and Beetle

Spider- Pale gray tom with black stripes, brother of Caterpillar and Beetle

Beetle- Dark gray tom with lighter stripes, brother of Caterpillar and Spider

Raspberry- Dark brown she-cat, sister of Apple and Acorn

Apple- Golden brown tabby she-cat, sister of Raspberry and Acorn

Acorn- Brown tom with white legs and tail, brother of Raspberry and Apple

Shell- Creamy gray tom with white underbelly and muzzle, does not know his parents, he was abandoned as a kit, no known siblings.

**Queens:**

Dandelion- Stays permanently in barn to help other queens, no Pride.

Moth- Mother of Strike's kits: Twirl, Shiver, and Crash (Hunting)

Song- Mother Glade's kits, Raccoon and Raven (Running)

Frost- Pale white-blue with lavender eyes, expecting Leap's kits (Climbing)

Spring- Light brown and white with dark brown boots, expecting Bound's kits (Hunting)

**Kits:**

Raccoon- Dark gray tom with black stripes, brother of Raven

Raven- Almost-black gray she-cat, sister of Raccoon

Twirl- Light creamy brown she-cat with white stripes, sister of Shiver and Crash

Shiver- Pale gray tom with orange stripes, brother of Twirl and Crash

Crash- Dark gray tom with orange stripes, brother of Twirl and Shiver

**Elders:**

Straw- Light brown tom, eldest cat in the Prides (Running)

Sunlight- Fiery orange she-cat (Swimming)

Mudslide- Dark brown and gray tabby tom, retired early due to losing his right eye and ear, he is now about elder aged, tells great stories (Swimming then Fighting)

Brush- Pale gray she-cat with black markings, grumpiest elder (Hunting)

Walnut- Creamy brown tom (Climbing)

Oats- Creamy brown tom (Climbing)

Spin- Brown she-cat with white markings and pure blue eyes (Running)

**PRIDE OF RUNNING**

**Chief: **

Runningtwist- Light brown tom with white muzzle, ears, and feet with pure blue eyes, oldest Chief in the Prides, he used to be quick to accuse and support his clan, but over time he be came wiser and less accussing.

**Cats:**

Moon- Fluffy white she-cat with dark blue eyes, mother of Raspberry, Apple, and Acorn

Hare- White and black tabby tom

Reeds- Brown mottled tom with yellow eyes

Indigo- Dark gray she-cat with silver markings

Falcon- Light gray she-cat with blue eyes

Dust- Dark ginger tom with amber eyes

Autumn- Sleek tortie and white with soft emerald eyes

Mink- Dark brown she-cat with white underbelly and dark blue eyes

Salamander- Pale orange and dark gray tabby tom with lime green eyes

**PRIDE OF HUNTING**

**Chief: **

Huntingshine- Silver she-cat with black markings, doubts herself as chief and weakens herself from it, she does little to support her pride in pride life, but will stand up for them against other prides

**Cats:**

Sky- Golden she-cat with dark green eyes

Cedar- Light brown tom with grayish patches

Mist- Dark gray she-cat with light blue eyes, very shy, sensitive, and stealthy

Fog- Light gray tom with dark blue, emotionless eyes, choosingly quiet and stealthy

Strike- Reddish brown tom with large ears, mate of Moth

Bound- Stocky brown tom with white muzzle and front left paw, mate of Spring

Rabbit- White-gray tom with hazel eyes

Mud- Creamy brown tom with black markings

Clover- Pretty light brown and white dappled she-cat with bright topaz eyes

**PRIDE OF FIGHTING**

**Chief: **

Fightingsnake- Dark gray tom with light brown markings and golden eyes, a loyal and fair chief, but also tends to go to battle quicker than other chiefs because of his pride's strength

**Cats:**

Cloud- White tom with a golden hinge and dark yellow eyes

Bracken- Striped brown tabby tom

Dusk- Dark gray tom with a tint of blue

Rain- Gray tabby tom with amber eyes

Wasp- Dark gray and golden tabby tom

Fire- Dark ginger tom with a fiery personality

Blaze- White she-cat with orange legs and splotches with a fiery personality

Twilight- Strong black tom with golden paws and gray eyes

Scarlet- Strong and tall, pitch black she-cat with dark amber eyes with a slight temper

Lizard- Creamy white, dark gray, and pale orange tabby tom with lime green eyes

**PRIDE OF CLIMBING**

**Chief: **

Climbinglilac- Light gray-blue she-cat with faint white markings and warm amber eyes, youngest chief, she is a very kind and resolute chief

**Cats:**

Storm- Thick-furred grey tom with amber eyes, mate of Blizzard

Meadow- Light gray she-cat with hazel eyes

Leap- Lanky reddish brown tom with a white-tipped tail, mate of Frost

Butterfly- Light gray and blue tabby she-cat

Ice- Pale silver she-cat with blue eyes

Shade- Black tom with gray flecks and gray eyes

Silver- Sleek, silver she-cat with one emerald green eye and one aqua blue eye; calm and quiet personality and very agile

Stoat- Long, brown tom with darker brown stripes and a white underbelly and brown eyes

**PRIDE OF SWIMMING **

**Chief: **

Swimminghawk- Dark brown tom with golden markings, mate of Dawn, reasonable and cunning chief

**Cats:**

Blizzard- Silver and white patched she-cat, mate of Storm

Star- Pretty white she-cat with golden patches and yellow eyes

Night- Black she-cat with green eyes

Dawn- Blue-gray she-cat with sparkling blue eyes, mate of Swimminghawk

Cicada- Light gray and golden tabby tom

Tangle- Brown and orange tabby tom with yellow eyes

Snow- Fluffy white she-cat with amber eyes

Echo- Black she-cat with white paws

Sand- Pale ginger tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Frog- Dark gray and creamy white tabby tom with lime green eyes

* * *

**NO MORE NAMES FOR ALLEGIANCES**

**Thank you to all who helped create the characters:**

**AnimegirlTohru**

**spotty-bee**

**Ninjakitty**

**Dragonclaw11**

**Amberstorm**

**meri47**

**Wildstar of Windclan**

**Starwish10**

**CatLoverCato**

**Cloverdapple**

**TheVampLuvr1**


	2. Prologue

_AN:_

_Hello! The prologue is finished... and short. But I promise Chapter 1 will be posted tomorrow. It is already written and is much, much longer. Chapter Two is in progress. Thank you to all who reviewed:_

_AnimegirlTohru_

_spotty-bee_

_Ninjakitty_

_Dragonclaw11_

_Amberstorm_

_meri47_

_Wildstar of Windclan_

_Starwish10_

_Horndawg_

_CatLoverCato_

_There is still room for more characters! Please make sure to follow the rules at the bottom of the Allegiances when submitting. Now, here is the story..._

**Prologue**

A pale gray tabby stood motionless beside a river. His sky blue eyes focused intently on the movement in the river. He zoned out the rustle of the leaves in the chilly wind. The birds chirping and animals rustling and a small noise of chatter back at camp were all in a different world; this cat was hunting using all the skills he had learned. He peered past the splashing and gurgling of the water, spying a large fish fighting the current.

He waited patiently as it slowly crept upstream; closer to him. He crouched by the edge of the water, so his prey would not notice him. Hopefully. But as he prepared to strike, the fish's scales caught the sunlight and shimmered in his eyes. He flinched slightly, holding in any noise. He kept as silent as possible, but a rustling bush sounded and the fish darted away.

"Mouse dung." The cat muttered under his breath. He turned to look at this tail, which he knew had twitched when the fish caught the sun, but there was no bush within several tail lengths worth counting. _Something must be nearby_, he thought. He sat quietly, waiting to see if he could identify the noise. Nothing revealed itself and he decided it was a passing animal or fellow pridemate.

He started pacing downstream to find a new fishing area and thought, _I need to catch something for my Pride_. Beneath his once-sleek fur and thin body, his stomach growled. _And maybe something for me_, he added with discontent.

He got no further than twenty pawsteps when he heard another noise. He paused in his search and glanced around, still calm and unalarmed. The forest was motionless, besides the swaying trees in the breeze, but that made it seem the entire forest was moving defeating the point of calling it motionless. He realized the birds had stopped singing and couldn't remember when they had stopped. They probably stopped after the first noise which means, if they did, this was a predator; probably another cat.

"Hello?" He called out, expecting reply from a pridemate. No one responded. He wondered with guilt if he had just disturbed another cat who was hunting and possible chased away their prey. Another noise; this time closer and on the opposite side.

If these noises were another cat hunting, their prey would already be gone from his talking and the noises it was making itself. So it wouldn't matter if he talked again, plus now he was nervous. "Okay, you got me," he called with a tremble, "You can come out now." He scanned his surroundings and after doing a complete turn, he faced back in the same direction.

SNAP! He spun around to the noise directly behind him. There stood, ready to fight, a menacing dark gray cat, but that was not all. At least six others slunk out of the surrounding forest, all staring at him with bloodthirsty glares.

The dark gray cat in front of him flicked his tail and caterwauled, launching himself forward. In a moment, they were all attacking him. He fought vigorously and yowled out for help, but he had already called out before the attack and knew no one was nearby. The next day, the dawn patrol found his body, dead, by the river.


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A golden brown tabby cat lay sleeping inside the shelter of a barn. Just outside, rain battered the roof and walls. A drop of water splattered in her face. She groggily lifted her head to find the s!ource. Spotting a leak in the roof, she glanced out the window to see a darkened, gloomy world drenched in falling rain. She collapsed back to sleep, exhausted from…sleeping.

What felt like moments later, she was awakened by shaking. "Hey, Apple, we've got to get up. Fawn and Whisper are taking us to practice climbing." Apple opened her eyes to see her sister, Raspberry. She stood and stretched.

"Okay, let's go," Apple glanced around the apprentice den. Her brother, Acorn, was gone along with Shell and Caterpillar. Spider and Beetle lay nestled in the corner of the room; one of them was snoring. "Should we wake them up?"

Raspberry leapt to the hay bales leading the way down to the ground floor. "Probably not, Fawn only asked for you and Acorn." She hopped down the rest of the hay bales and disappeared into the lower floor.

Apple hurried after her, clearing the hay bales in three jumps. On the lower floor she hurried passed all of the commotion of herb cats, elders, queens and their kits towards the entrance; a large hole in the wall. But before she slipped out a kit, Twirl, saw her.

"Hi Apple!" Twirl mewed from on top of a hay bale. "I'm Chief of the hay!"

"Not for long!" Another kit yowled and leapt on top of his sister. They play fought for a moment until a larger kit jumped up, play-roaring, and picked the first kit up and tossed her to the side.

"No fair Raccoon! You're older and bigger," Twirl complained, then pointed to her brother. "And you teamed up with Crash!" She pouted, "I need a partner."

"I'll help!" Her other brother, Shiver, climbed on top of the hay bale and lashed at Raccoon with sheathed claws. Raccoon easily batted him away, using his size to his advantage.

"Hey Shiver!" Apple called to him, padding up to the hay bale they were battling on.

"Yeah?" She motioned for him to join her and he leapt off the hay bale. The other kits were continuing to play fight and didn't notice them talking.

"When you fight someone bigger than yourself, try getting on top of them. So when he is distracted, jump on top of Raccoon and hold on and try to steer him off the hay bale, then at the last second, jump off of him and let him fall off the hay."

"Okay, Apple, thanks for the tip." Shiver nodded politely and hurried to join the battle. Apple smiled to herself as she watched Shiver leap on Raccoon and struggle to keep on. The trick didn't go as planned though; they both tumbled off the edge of the hay bale. But Shiver was prepared and was back on before Raccoon in triumph. Apple purred and hurried out to her mentors.

The ground was wet and mushy from the recent rain and the falling water was still at a drizzle. When Apple reached her mentors at the designated climbing tree, she already felt soaked. Acorn, Raspberry, and Shell sat sodden by their mentors Fawn and Whisper.

"You're the last one," Fawn pointed out negatively, her mood dampened by the rainy gloom and in a more positive tone meowed, "Okay, today, since it rained, we are going to practice climbing in the rain."

"Fawn will demonstrate how to climb the tree and I will explain the technique." Whisper, as her name told, was quiet, but not necessarily shy. She was the mentor from the Pride of Climbing though.

"First, get a running start." Whisper instructed. Fawn stepped from the tree a bit uncertainly. She sprinted forward and took a huge leap at the wet oak. Her claws dug in to the rough, slippery bark and propelled herself up the tree.

"Then, hurry to the lowest branch before you lose your balance and fall or are stuck hanging in place." When Fawn was almost to the lowest branch, which was not too low, she turned herself around and ran down the tree in what was somewhat falling.

"Ummm…Not quite like that." Whisper commented.

Fawn was bristling at the bottom of the tree. "Do you think I purposely did that?" She growled, "I think I ripped a claw." She grimaced in pain and picked up her paw carefully and inspected it. Blood oozed out of where a claw should be, but wasn't.

"Ewww..." Raspberry shuddered. "Sorry, but that must hurt."

"It does." Fawn replied through clenched teeth. She padded in a circle, with her hurt paw in the air, trying to release some pain.

"You'd better go see the herb cats," Apple meowed, feeling sympathy for Fawn. The mentor nodded and trotted towards the barn, favoring her hurt paw.

Whisper looked uncertain, "I guess we probably shouldn't climb today; it might be dangerous. We don't need any more ripped claws."

"Yeah, I agree." Apple meowed, cheering inside. She _did not_ like climbing. Raspberry nodded in agreement. Apple started to leave, hoping the lesson was over; she wanted to be dry underneath the barn.

"I would like to try." Shell spoke up. Apple was surprised, Shell didn't talk much. She didn't really know much about him besides that he was abandoned as a kit. This was why he was shy and didn't have any siblings.

"Go ahead," Whisper mumbled, "just be careful." She sat back to make sure he did it correctly.

Shell moved to the side and rocketed at the tree. He dug into the bark and scrambled up the side. He pulled himself onto the lowest branch. "Was that good?"

Whisper, slightly surprised, meowed, "Perfect. Do you want to try to go higher?" Shell looked nervously up the tree.

"Maybe." He stood there, gaining the courage to continue his ascent. Suddenly, he sprang up the tree and in almost no time was half-way up the tall oak.

Now afraid, he yelled down, "How do I get down?" But from his height in the tree, through the rain, he couldn't hear Whisper's small voice. He glanced at his options and swiftly leapt from his branch to a lower one within range. The branch swayed under his weight and he nervously picked out another. Then another. Soon enough, he was on the ground again.

"That was amazing!" Raspberry exclaimed. "I didn't think you could get down!"

"That was very good, Shell...and unique." Whisper approved. "I don't think I could have done better myself. Does anyone else want to try?"

"No!" The other three apprentices shouted in unison. Shell shifted his weight from one side to the other; unsure whether he was brave trying something no one else would do, or weird for the same reason.

Whisper sighed in relief, "Then, climbing practice is done for today. After each of you catch one piece of prey for the fresh-kill pile inside the barn, you can rest inside." Apple groaned. Whisper hurried off towards the forest.

Raspberry took off towards the forest, "I bet I will be the first one done!" Acorn glanced at Apple and headed for the moor, imagining a large, plump rabbit. Apple sighed and jogged forward. She would hunt in the forest; it was the easiest spot to catch prey in her opinion.

By sun high, the rain had stopped and sun was starting to peak out of the clouds to warm her fur. Apple was following a scent; it was a pheasant and, if she caught it, it could feed many cats. The scent was more recent now; she could tell it was near. Apple tested the air and to her disappointment, she was down wind. She stood on her hind legs and searched for the pheasant, hoping it was in sight. There! The large bird was strutting along towards the territory of the Pride of Hunting. That wasn't a problem because since she didn't belong to any clan yet, she could travel through all borders. Although she was supposed to have a mentor or a warrior from this clan with her, but this was different. This was a pheasant.

Apple dashed quietly through the forest in a circle of the pheasant's path, planning to cut it off. She spotted it again and switched to her hunting crouch. She slipped through the forest, hidden from the pheasant's view. When she was five fox lengths away, it cried out in fear.

_Fox dung!_ Apple sprinted forward, hoping that she could catch it. She skidded to a halt when she reached its body; already killed.

"That was my kill!" She shouted, and then recognized her den mate, Caterpillar. He was Spider and Beetle's brother.

"I started tracking this before it stopped raining!" He countered. Then, he indignantly clamped his jaws around its neck and started to drag it forward.

Apple quickly saw his problem. "Okay, it's your catch then." She slowly started to walk away. "You get to carry it back." Caterpillar struggled to move it forward. He moved it two fox lengths and dropped it.

"Fine," he growled unwillingly, "Can you help me?" Apple smiled and picked the pheasant up by its leg. They carried it back to the barn and plopped it on top of the fresh-kill pile, practically covering it.

Briar walked out, she was an herb cat at the barn. "Wow! Who caught that?" Spring and several kits began to crowd around the big catch.

"I did." Caterpillar meowed proudly, holding his chin high.

"I was about to, until _he_ stole it." Apple meowed jokingly, though in her mind she knew it was true. Spring asked for it for the kits and queens, and everyone agreed. Apple and Caterpillar carried it over to their area. The kits went wild over it and soon after eating they were playing 'Catch the Pheasant'.

Caterpillar walked over to the fresh-kill pile and picked out a vole. He walked over to Apple. "Do you want to share this?" He asked shyly even though it was normal for cats to share their prey.

"Sure." Apple replied and as soon as they sat down, Spider, Beetle, and Acorn walked in; Beetle and Acorn both carried rabbits and Spider had a sparrow.

"Hey, Apple! Where's Raspberry?" Acorn asked, "Did you win?" Suddenly, Apple stood up.

"I forgot! I haven't caught anything." She exclaimed and _almost_ bolted out the entrance of the barn.

"Actually, you helped me catch the pheasant, right?" Caterpillar offered. Apple sighed, relief washing over her, and nodded while whispering, _Thanks_.

Spider looked astounded. "A pheasant?"

"Yep." Caterpillar confirmed.

"That's great!" Beetle praised before carrying his rabbit over to the elders. The other apprentices sat down to eat, now that the elders, queens, and kits were fed.

"Have you heard about the rogues?" Spider asked through a mouthful of food.

"Yeah, we all have. Why?" Apple remembered they were a group of cats that would ambush lone cats and kill them. Their attacks more affected the areas of the Prides of Swimming, Climbing, and Hunting, leading cats to believe their camp was near there. They were very sneaky and mysterious. Their motives and numbers were unknown.

"Well, somehow, word got out when they are going to attack. They are only targeting lone cats still of course." Spider dramatically explained.

"So..? When is it?" Acorn asked; feeling like Spider left a cliffhanger.

"Tomorrow," Spider answered. "They are only supposed to attack with six cats, so all of the cats from the Prides of Swimming and Climbing are going to hide, while one cat pretends to hunt to lure the rogues to attack. Then, when the six rogues come out to attack…We attack!"

"Yeah. When you say 'we', you really mean 'the warriors'." Beetle complained and the other apprentices agreed unhappily.

"Well, Weeds told me _I_ get to help." Spider bragged.

"No," Spider jumped from Weeds' voice behind him, "I said _some_ apprentices are coming; for the experience. I never said you were coming." Spider flicked his tail at being proven a liar. "I came here to say who was decided ready to go. So, Beetle, Acorn, and…Spider are coming." He waited to say Spider's name, just to tease him. He continued, "You three will act as our scouts. I'll be back at sunrise to fetch you. Be ready." After finishing, he left.

Later that night, Apple curled up beside Raspberry, who was fast asleep. She had discovered Raspberry had won the competition. She caught a squirrel, came back, and was gone before she had gotten back. Apple glanced around the den. Beetle was snoring again and everyone except Acorn was here and asleep. She noticed it was raining again and sighed; more wetness. After lying in unrest for several moments, Acorn came up and laid down.

Apple thought about what Weeds said. She wasn't surprised to hear she wasn't coming. She knew Beetle and Spider were the fastest apprentices and would make good scouts; Acorn was fast too. And on the inside, she was relieved to know she wouldn't be in the fight; even if she wouldn't actually fight.

At some point, she fell asleep. She dreamed she was in the territory of the Pride of Swimming. She walked around and found herself beside Acorn, but when she tried to talk to him, he couldn't hear her. She sat by him and watched a lone cat walk out into a clearing. Two cats confronted him and Apple identified the two as rogues. Suddenly, more than a dozen Pride cats rushed in, surrounding the two rogues. Acorn stayed by her side though. _This is tomorrow's battle_, she thought.

Unexpectedly, another wave of cats rushed in, surrounding and outnumbering the Pride cats. _No! The rogues know!_ A rogue came up behind Acorn, and able to do nothing, she stood by in horror as he was killed. Now that the scouts were gone, the rogues moved in to the center patrol and fought and killed mercilessly. A group of Pride cats fought their way out and seven, only seven escaped the mob of death.

Apple jolted awake, it was just now dawn, and the battle had not begun. She sighed in relief. Then, in a moment of terror, she realized Spider, Beetle, and Acorn were gone. _I have to save them!_

_

* * *

_

**Okay, now there is a contest! **

Frost is going to have hers and Leap's kits soon (In chapter 4 or 5), and they all need names and descriptions.

The rules are simple:

1. There are three kits.

2. Their names must relate somehow. (i.e. they all might be flowers: Rose, Violet, and Tulip)

3. They must have descriptions. Don't forget Frost is pale white-blue with lavender eyes and Leap is reddish brown with a white-tipped tail

4. They must be creative!

The best entries will win! The results will be shown in the chapter Frost has her kits.


	4. Chapter 2

I haven't posted in a while, but don't worry, I'm still working on this story. I've just been busy with school and practice. The contest from Chapter 1 is still going and the results will be revealed in the fourth chapter. Thanks to all who reviewed!

**Chapter 2**

…_I have to save them!_

Apple sprang to her legs in alarm. Her brother and many more cats were going to be ambushed and killed by the band of rogues! The rogues must have found out about the Prides' plan to ambush them. She leaped over her slumbering sister and landed before the hay bale stairs.

Raspberry was awakened by Apple's clatter and rose to her feet. "Where are you going? If you're going hunting, I-"

"No time. I had a dream and it told me the rogues are going to attack us!" Apple dashed down the hay and out the barn entrance. Raspberry was left scrambling to catch her.

"Apple, stop! You need to calm down!" Raspberry called to her sister.

Apple spun around and shouted frantically, "I had a dream. It must have been sent to me by the Pride of Stars and it showed today's battle patrol attacking the rogues, but then even more rogues came out and surrounded us! And Acorn was killed! I have to warn them!" Apple ran off leaving Raspberry stunned.

Raspberry muttered under her breath, "She's crazy." Then she loped forward and followed her.

* * *

_Acorn ran in pace_ with Spider and Beetle. The ambush site lay ahead. His patrol of Weeds, Tangle, Sand, Beetle, Spider, and himself approached the group of cats preparing to fight. Acorn sensed little fear among his pridemates; everyone was almost…relaxed. _They seem to think this is going to be easy, _he thought. He wasn't even going to fight and he felt nervous. _Maybe it will be._

Earlier, Weeds had gone over his role in the ambush. Spider, Beetle, Sand, and himself would pair up and take opposite points of the battle and watch for more rogues, which was highly unexpected, and go get back-up if the rogue group was bigger than estimated. His partner was Sand. So far she had not spoken the entire time, which was just fine with him.

The cat brave enough to be the bait in the plan, was Cicada. He didn't seem especially strong or fast. But Acorn had to give him credit for bravery. He was the creator of the plan and he said he trusted it so much, he would be the bait and held his promise true.

"Positions!" Swimminghawk whispered loudly in a commanding tone. Cicada began trotting into the ambush zone. He was completely calm; or he could just hide his emotions very well. About a dozen warriors took their hidden positions along the path Cicada was walking. Spider and Beetle dashed off to the right, senses pricked.

Sand nodded to Acorn and whispered, "Let's go." He nodded slightly and they hurried to the left. From his point, he watched as two rogues slipped out of the bushes and confronted Cicada.

A crack of a twig sounded not far from Acorn. "Sand, did you hear that?" He whispered. When she didn't reply, he turned to find her missing. "Sand!"

"Acorn!" A she-cat called out, but it wasn't Sand, it was Apple. Acorn was puzzled.

"What?" He yelled back. Suddenly, a huge weight was dropped on him. He quickly realized it was another cat. The rogue clawed painfully into his back. Struggling, Acorn shook him off. The rogue walked around him as he regained his wits and suddenly darted in, biting at his throat.

"No!" Apple slammed into the big rogue and slashed at his flank. The rogue momentarily was off-balanced, letting Apple strike again with her claws at his muzzle. Acorn, recovered, batted at his other side. The rogue lashed out at Apple, but she dodged and fell to the ground. The rogue moved forward to finish her off, but Acorn was too fast. The rogue focused on him and they fought. Apple regained her feet and tackled the rogue. She dug in to his back with her claw, holding on for her life as he bucked and tried to force her off.

"Apple? Where are you?" Her sister, Raspberry, stepped out of the bushes and shrieked.

Still clinging to the rogue's back, Apple shouted, "Warn the others!" Terrified, Raspberry ran towards the battle patrol. A huge paw slammed Apple from her perch, to the ground. _Another rogue,_ she thought. She saw a flash of pale ginger to the other side. _Oh, no! Not another! _She cried in her mind, not able to speak.

The newcomer, already dripping in blood, turned out to be Sand. She screeched and flung herself at the new rogue. They fought three small cats, against two large cats. One of the rogues lunged at Apple. She swerved to the side and clawed the other rogue just as Sand battered into his other side. The first rogue had Acorn pinned to the ground and Apple slammed into the rogue, sending him off balance and gave Acorn a moment to escape. The fight continued on, draining her strength and energy. Her muscles screamed and fatigue was beginning to set in as her adrenaline lowered.

Abruptly, the loudest caterwaul she had ever heard was released, chilling her to the bone…The fighting stopped. It was like time had frozen as she and her friends stared at their enemies, panting hard. Then, like a crash of thunder, the rogues drained out of the battle field. More silence. Then cheers.

"Yeah! They retreated!"

"Take that, flea-bags!"

Swimminghawk yowled and all was silent, "We have won, but this is not over. All cats severely injured, go directly to the barn to be healed. Cats fit to help; carry Snow and Pine's bodies to their Prides. We will hold vigil for these brave warriors tonight. All who have fought with us tonight, thank you for your courage. Now go!"

* * *

_Beetle was snoring_ when Raspberry approached her den. She sighed in relief, easing her tense muscles. She glanced around the barn's second floor; she was the only apprentice awake. She pricked her ears at the sound of a rhythmic patter. Grumbling at the sign of more rain, she laid down beside her sister, Apple.

When injures from the battle against the rogues were totaled, Apple found she only had bruised shoulder. Raspberry had been shocked. It was true that some of the warriors at the battle had only minimal wounds, but Apple was only an apprentice. She had been training for just over three moons and received the same losses in battle as a skilled warrior would have received. _Or a lucky one_, Raspberry thought. Maybe it was just that, Apple had got lucky; fate had gone in her favor. _But no, Apple had fought just as ferociously as any warrior._ At some point during her thoughts, Raspberry slipped into dreamland.

She found herself in palpable blackness, but it wasn't dark. It was…nothingness. She couldn't see anything, but she could feel the darkness. Also, she realized, she could feel stone beneath her feet, pure stone. No cracks, pieces, or roughness. Cautiously, she stepped forward towards…nothing.

Eventually, almost all at once, she could see. She could see where she had been, even though back when she was there, she couldn't. The path she was on was in fact stone. It was a pale gray and narrow. The area beyond the edges of the stone path was more nothingness. The only other visible objects were the moon and stars above her, twinkling down on the stone.

With no other option, she continued down the path. Soon, she found a river of water was following parallel to her path. Just like the path had done, she could see the river all at once, even behind her. It seemed friendly. Raspberry paused in her trek to wonder if that attribute was fit to assign to the river. She decided since it was her dream, the river could be her friend. The river brought comfort to her as she continued her travel.

Suddenly, a huge mountain appeared out of nowhere, exactly as the path and river had done. As she peered closer, it became apparent that it was not a mountain, but a dome-shaped cave. Once again with no other option, she followed the path into the cave.

Several things struck Raspberry as she entered the "cave". First of all, it was not a cave; it was more of a very, very tall stone ridge that went straight up forming a circle. At the top, there was no ceiling and the starry night sky was shining brightly above. Also, there were cats in this "cave"; familiar ones.

"Raspberry!" A golden-brown cat called out across the empty ground that was as flat as the stone path. The she-cat came closer and only now, because of the limited light in the "cave", Raspberry could recognize her friends.

"Apple!" She exclaimed and dashed over to her sister. Beside Apple sat Caterpillar, Shell, and Raccoon. Caterpillar, Raccoon, and Raspberry exchanged greetings.

"So now there's five of us." Shell noted in low voice. The four other cats turned to him.

Raccoon piped up, "What do you mean?" Raspberry searched the clearing and found no one other than Shell, Apple, Caterpillar, Raccoon, and herself. Caterpillar and Apple exchanged glances and understanding dawned on them of what Shell meant.

"We'll tell you, but first you have to accept this isn't just a dream." Apple mewed, obviously the four cats had already discussed this.

Raspberry had just been thinking how strange of a dream this was. But a dream was a dream. "Hmmm, but that's just what a cat in my dream might say."

"This is not a dream." Apple stated clearly, holding her gaze level with Raspberry.

"If you say so, _dream_-Apple," Raspberry mocked happily, now thinking of everyone as dream-cats.

Dream-Shell looked at her seriously, "So you're saying _if_ this were a dream, Apple might say that?"

Raspberry nodded. "Since this _is_ a dream, she did," she countered stubbornly.

"But if this wasn't a dream, what would she say?" Dream-Shell questioned, he seemed to know the answer.

"Well...maybe she-"

"And would you really have this clear of a setting and be able to argue with another cat in a dream?" Dream-Shell tactfully explained. Raspberry slowly nodded her head, defeated and embarrassed.

"Okay, so now that that is out of the way, I'll tell you what I meant. Notice the random openings in the sides of the sheer cliffs surrounding the hollow? There are exactly five. One for each of us. And we each came out of a different one, so I assume we will leave the same way." The four cats nodded at his wisdom.

After a moment of echoing silence, Raspberry asked an obvious question. "So why are we here? Or how are we here?" The question was also unanswerable.

"That's what we don't know," Caterpillar replied. "Unless Shell has another theory." He added sarcastically and looked at Shell, whose fur had started to bristle.

In his defense, Shell did give it a try, "Maybe so us apprentices can train more?" The answer was logical, but not likely.

"Hey! What about me?" Raccoon protested. "I'm still a kit." The others thought uncertainly of the answer. The entire situation was strange.

"You will be an apprentice soon." Apple pointed out, remembering Raccoon and Raven would become apprentices any day now.

"Oh. Yeah!" Raccoon eagerly replied. For a moment, he imagined the five chiefs of the prides standing in a row, while the senior chief, Runningtwist, called his name to announce him an apprentice. An unknown cat's voice brought him back to his surroundings.

"Welcome, I am Swimmingfawn." The cat confronting the five friends who called herself Swimmingfawn was a sleek light brown tabby and white tortoiseshell she-cat and strangely, the light from the moon and stars seemed to dance on her fur and twinkle in her eyes.

It appeared her gaze was focused on Raspberry, so she spoke shyly. "Hi, I'm Raspberry, and this is-"

"Yes, I know who you are." The starry she-cat focused on each awed cat as she spoke their name. "Raspberry, Raccoon, Shell, Apple, and Caterpillar."

Caterpillar took a step towards her and with a tone slightly aggressive and slightly afraid, he questioned, "How do you know who we are?"

Swimmingfawn smiled fondly, "You are the five we chose to fix something. Something that has gone wrong. Or will go wrong, from your point of view." She spoke as if they should understand exactly what she meant, but they didn't.

"The rogues?" Apple blurted out, terrified at the thought that they might have to stop the rogues themselves. The other four either shuddered or shrunk back.

"No, but all will be answered soon." The she-cat flickered with brightness from the moon.

"And who is this "we" you mentioned?" Caterpillar probed, still bristling with anger and accusation.

"As I have said, we are in the Pride of Stars, your ancestors. This pride has selected you five." When Caterpillar started to retort, the Pride of Stars cat glared at him. He stopped and she continued. "This particular spot is called the Starry Hollow. It is one of the few places here where we can bring living cats. Every night, you will be able to meet here, but you must leave before that star," she pointed her tail to an extra-bluish star very close to the walls of the Starry Hollow, "Is concealed completely by the walls."

"But it's almost there!" Raspberry burst out. Swimmingfawn nodded in agreement, calm at the imminent danger.

Raccoon wondered nervously, "What will happen if we haven't left by then?"

Swimmingfawn sighed and replied, "If you still are here after that star, the Blue Star, is concealed," She paused solemnly , "You will never return to the living world." Raspberry gasped and the others were shocked.

"Then we'd better leave now!" Apple yowled and dashed towards the closest exit. Caterpillar, Raspberry, Raccoon, and Shell scrambled to follow.

"No!" Swimmingfawn cried out. "If you don't go back through the path you came in, you will lose your way and become lost there for eternity." The other cats froze and located their path, fearing the consequences of not.

Raspberry dashed to her path and exited the Starry Hollow. She turned to glance at the Blue Star and was transfixed by its light. She stood motionless there as the star descended to its destination. Suddenly, the light of the Blue Star disappeared behind the hollow walls. Raspberry jolted back and looked around, afraid something horrible had happened. She realized the Starry Hollow had disappeared. _Strange, I never saw it disappear, _she thought.

She moved close to where it _was_, and felt it as she brushed up against the wall. It was there, but colored with nothingness. The stars and moon had disappeared now…and so had the path she was standing on.

Raspberry shrieked and leaped to a splotch of colored ground, the path before her was normal, but the nothingness color was seeping towards her. She began walking at a steady pace and the problem stayed behind her. She began to wonder why SwimmingFawn, who she had concluded to have been the previous leader before Swimminghawk, had told them, '_If you don't go back through the path you came in, you will lose your way…'_ Then, she saw the reason.

Countless paths winded through the empty space, all looking identical. Raspberry felt overwhelmed by options. They hadn't been there when she came through. Or had they?

She caught the faint noise of gurgling water and remembered the stream. With a jump, she spotted the river and eagerly ran to it.

Its rhythmic sound comforted her and she found herself beside it. Curiously, she dipped her paw in it. It was cool and moist; the water hugged her paw friendly. The edge of the river splashed invitingly at the adjacent ground. She stepped forward and dove into the crystal blue water.

Instinctively, she began to swim and the calm river guided her to where she had entered this bizarre universe. As she stepped out, the water instantly dried. At the end of the stone path, it was circular with a translucent blue stone in the middle. When she stared at it, she felt drowsy and curled up beside it. When she opened her eyes, she saw hay, barn, and morning creeping through windows.

* * *

Don't forget to submit an entry to the contest at the bottom of Chapter 1 and review!


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